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Quanterus Smith - DL - Hilltoppers

Broncos selected Western Kentucky DE Quanterus Smith with the No. 146 overall pick.

Smith (6-foot-5, 250) was leading the NCAA in sacks (12.5) before tearing his left ACL on November 17. Three came in Week 2 against the bullies on Alabama's offensive line, as Smith made D.J. Fluker look silly a few times. Smith's pre-draft stock was still silent because he couldn't work out for teams. He figures to "redshirt" his first NFL season, but could pay off as pass-rush help in 2014. Smith could fill the old Elvis Dumervil role at right end in two seasons.
Apr 27 - 2:40 PM
Quanterus Smith - DL - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky DE Quanterus Smith visited the Philadelphia Eagles and will visit the New York Giants next, according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt.

Smith is 6-foot-5, 250 pounds and is recovering from a knee injury (torn ACL) that ended his final season prematurely. He is one of the sleeper pass-rushers in this year's draft, as he shows the ability to get around the edge because of his long strides and closing speed. ESPN's Todd McShay recently said Smith was a "name to remember" and a potential "Day 3 steal".
Source: NFL.com
Apr 11 - 5:32 PM
Quanterus Smith - DL - Hilltoppers

Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay believes Western Kentucky DE Quanterus Smith is "a name to remember."

Smith suffered a knee injury during the latter parts of the season but put up bulky sack numbers against some teams, specifically Alabama and FIU. His name certainly isn;t new to many, but because of the injury he might fall out of the top three rounds. "Could be a Day 3 steal as pass-rush specialist," McShay tweeted. "He can bend and close!"
Source: Todd McShay on Twitter
Mar 19 - 10:02 AM
Andrew Jackson - LB - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky junior LB Andrew Jackson tweeted that he is returning for his senior season.

It may seem like a random name, but Jackson is one of the nation's best run defenders between the tackles and consistently shows positive awareness and physical play. He is squatty, so Jackson lacks ideal range, but expect to hear his name more often throughout the 2013 season.
Source: Andrew Jackson on Twitter
Jan 9 - 9:52 AM
Andrew Jackson - LB - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky beat writer Chad Bishop believes junior ILB Andrew Jackson is "50-50" to declare for the NFL Draft.

Many may look at Jackson and question this move since he spent his college career playing for the Hilltoppers. However, after film evaluation, Jackson likely has an NFL future as a run stuff inside linebacker in a three or four man front. His short and squatty stature lends the eye to believe he may not have the range necessary to be adequate in coverage, but good workout numbers could change that.
Source: Chad Bishop on Twitter
Wed, Dec 26, 2012 06:50:00 PM
Andrew Jackson - LB - Hilltoppers

Bobby Petrino will be announced as Western Kentucky's next head coach later this afternoon.

Obviously Petrino is known for his offensive background at Louisville, the Atlanta Falcons, and at Arkansas. The Hilltoppers are graduating their top quarterback in senior Kawaun Jakes, but a talented defense led by junior inside linebacker Andrew Jackson helped Western Kentucky reach a 7-5 record in 2012.
Source: Chad Bishop on Twitter
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 01:26:00 PM
Quanterus Smith - DL - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky senior DE Quanterus Smith will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.

This is a huge blow to the senior's draft evaluation, as he showed a lot of promise against Alabama as an edge rusher with length and long strides. From a production standpoint, Smith is one of the nation's leaders in sacks, tallying 12.5 on the season, however, that total came in just four games. We considered Smith an early third day selection with the chance to improve that status due to a strong postseason performance, but that initial expectation could be his draft ceiling now.
Source: Western Kentucky
Tue, Nov 20, 2012 08:58:00 PM
Quanterus Smith - DL - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky senior DE Quanterus Smith registered five sacks against FIU on Saturday.

Production wise, Smith is a bit inconsistent, tallying three sacks against Alabama and Arkansas State prior to this game, but failing to record one in the other four games played. Smith is long and covers a lot of ground with his strides, so expect to hear his name called more throughout the evaluation process.
Sun, Oct 28, 2012 11:26:00 AM
Quanterus Smith - DL - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky senior DE Quanterus Smith only accounted for one tackle in Thursday's game against Troy.

Smith did get backfield pressure at times, especially on loops back to the middle, but he was not as disruptive as we would like to see. This has been Smith's issue, he has six sacks on the season, but they only came in two games. One three sack performance did come against Alabama, but the senior appears to be an all or nothing type player at the moment.
Fri, Oct 12, 2012 09:37:00 AM
Quanterus Smith - DL - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky senior DE Quanterus Smith registered 3.5 sacks against Arkansas State on Saturday.

This is the second time Smith has registered at least three sacks this season, the first coming against Alabama in their week two matchup. He also added one pass breakup against the Red Wolves. The senior offers great length and a nice first step, but certainly needs to show more consistency and more refinement. Still, he will be drafted, it is just a matter of how high.
Mon, Oct 1, 2012 03:06:00 PM
Jonathan Dowling - DB - Hilltoppers

The Sun Belt Conference has suspended sophomore S Jonathan Dowling for one game after a hit that was classified as a "flagrant and dangerous act."

He was ejected from the game against Southern Miss for the hit and will miss the entire contest against Arkansas State. Dowling is a Florida transfer and he currently is tied for the most interceptions in the FBS with four.
Source: CollegeFootballTalk on NBC Sports
Tue, Sep 25, 2012 05:30:00 PM
Quanterus Smith - DL - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky senior DE Quanterus Smith registered three sacks in Saturday's game against Alabama, his only tackles in the contest.

Smith predominantly line up on the left side opposite D.J. Fluker and made the junior look heavy footed on multiple occasions. The Hilltopper flashed the ability to turn the corner with a dip to evade around the edge. Later, Smith also showed off an outside to inside swim move against left tackle Cyrus Kouandjio that produced a sack. It is a great sign that against his top competition this season Smith may have put on his best performance.
Source: Senior Citizens, Week Two
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 10:51:00 AM
Keshawn Simpson - RB - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky starting junior RB Keshawn Simpson is listed as questionable for this week's game against Alabama.

Simpson came to practice Tuesday on crutches and sporting a brace on his left knee after rushing for 60 yards on eight carries in the team's opener against Austin Peay. Simpson is a totally different back than 2011 starter Bobby Rainey, who had plenty of talent and produced great numbers with it. If Simpsons can't go, freshman Leon Allen could be called upon after rushing for 93 yards on 13 carries, including one touchdown, last week.
Source: AL.com
Thu, Sep 6, 2012 09:46:00 AM
Bobby Rainey - RB - Hilltoppers

Bobby Rainey established season highs with 43 carries and 227 yards and tied his season’s best with 3 TDs in a 41-18 win over visiting Troy.

Rainey’s career highs for carries (45) and yards (248) were against Middle Tennessee last season. The senior was 70-384-5 the last two years against Troy. This season, Rainey has 1,685 yards rushing and 13 TDs.
Sat, Nov 26, 2011 06:30:00 PM
Bobby Rainey - RB - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey ran for over 200 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Lousiana-Lafayette.

Rainey pounded the ball 32 times for 206 yards to help the Hilltoppers win their first home game in the last 18 tries. Rainey added TD rushes of 1, 5, and 24 yards, and even threw a 31-yard pass to help the team win their third game in a row. The senior back now has 910 yards and eight touchdowns on the year.
Sat, Oct 22, 2011 08:52:00 PM

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